shopping for a new bike, part I

this past saturday john and I rode up emigration canyon and then--instead of coming straight home--rode further and further into salt lake until we stopped at contender bicycles.  I had an appointment, you see, to test ride a few bikes.

john's Christmas gift to me was a new bike, and we'd been waiting for some warm(ish) and dry(ish) weather so that I could go do a few test rides.  can you feel me grinning?

so, saturday, after my beautiful ride up and down the canyon, I took short city spins on two beautiful new bicycles, a cannondale supersix evo, and a time rx instinct.

I began my road-biking experiences on a cannondale, a CAAD something (5? 8? can't remember and it's no longer in my possession).  it had a compact double and came with aero bars (which I promptly and laughingly removed), and was frost blue.  I'm not a blue person, but it was the only one in my size and when you're on a budget and a bike is on sale, you sometimes take what you can get.
that bike took me great places, and taught me to conquer whatever was put in front of me.
then I developed an itch for a new bike.  it all began when a friend asked me if I was interested in selling my bike . . . and another friend happened to be buddies with a guy who owned a bike shop where I could get a great deal on a prior-year's specialized bicycle . . . and before I knew it the cannondale was gone, and the specialized ruby expert sat in its place.

life on the specialized has been grand, but when I switched from a compact double to a triple, I believe I got a little bit lazier.  since I had those extra few gears, why not use them on those steep climbs?  I believe I took a little teeny step backwards in what had been a steady progression of strength and performance.

now it's back to the double.  I am not a geek, so I had to look this up and I may or may not be correct . . . but it looks like a 50/34 11 speed on the cannondale, and something comparable on the time though it has only 10 speeds.

I may soon be the proud owner of a new bike . . . if I'm able to come to a decision.

the cannondale is fun.  spiffy.  cool.  flashy.  wow.  (great to fly up the canyons)
the time is smooth.  sleek.  understated.  awesome.  (incredible on the 5 hour + rides)

it's feeling like a fun v. practical decision . . .  and I've spent most of my life being practical.
that fun, flashy cannondale is calling me . . .

this afternoon I'm taking the time up and down emigration canyon to experience a genuine ascent and descent.
I'll let you know how it goes, and where my heart takes me next.

fun, practical.   fun, practical.  practical, fun . . .

not just a new chainring

this is a month of new additions for me.
I had a new chain, rear cassette, and middle ring put on my bike.  (sure shifts better now.)
and a new cable.
and I bought new footbeds for my biking shoes, too.
I'm thinking a new pair of bike shorts is due this month, as well.
oh, and I've added three new members to my household, and a new surname to my signature.
and a new blog.
let's see, is that all so far?  guess so.

sometimes we add things to our life because they're needed, sometimes because we want to, and sometimes, because we know it's the right thing to keep us headed on our path.

my drive train was worn and rife with noisy complaints . . . it was time to replace worn components.
the screws from my shoe cleats had dug permanent holes in my old footbeds . . . it was time for new ones.
as for the dog, the man, the man's son, and my new surname . . . I can simply say I wanted to, it's the right thing, and it's time.

that leaves the new blog, which is the right thing for me to do to keep me headed on my path . . . not my cycling path (which is pretty easy to stay on) but my writing path.  while the tao of cycling is a forum for both practicing the craft of writing and sharing my joys, trials, and understandings of the world, the new blog is a statement of who I am as a writer.  it holds excerpts of my written works and my "writer's cv," and will be a receptacle for brief essays and posts about my writing life.
my cycling life and writing life cross paths frequently, and when you visit my other blog you'll know it's still me typing away in both places.
so when you want to explore a bit, I'd love you to visit susanimhoffbird.wordpress.com

as it takes a while to adjust to newness in one's life, I'm still on a restricted posting plan  .  .  .  don't give up on me.  I have faith that I'll figure out a way to keep everything moving and in balance, for as albert einstein stated,

life is like riding a bicycle.  to keep your balance you must keep moving. 

bright and shiny things

I went to my favorite store today, where I wandered for hours, lost in the delight of new smells, colors, shapes, textures: a bazaar for the senses and absolute heaven to me.
I touched rubber and plastic, wool and lycra, cotton and carbon and a handful of synthetics I'll never learn the names of.
swirling round me were titanium, aluminum, neoprene and fleece, silk and canvas and fiberglass and steel.
I was tempted by a dancing siren whose invisible presence guided me down one aisle then another, as I looked at puffy down and sleek microfiber and every gadget for every purpose under the sun.
I inhaled and sighed and could have stayed all day, lost in patterns and designs and ideas of where, and how, I could possibly put all of these things to use.

I'd gone there to exchange a present, one that was wonderful but was duplicated by something else hanging in my closet. a kid in a candy store, I was one with not only access but funds burning a hole in my proverbial pocket.
this, or that? something practical, something extravagant? a black thing--like usual--or something wildly pink or neon green? wool or cotton? one of these, or one of those?

sigh.
I love rei.

after wandering and dreaming, scheming and contemplating, minutes having melted more quickly than chocolate in july, I peeled my fingers from the cartons and fibers and smooth, rounded top tubes, and turned my mind to the final decision making.
did I need a this or a that? would I allow myself one of these or those? could I better justify walking out with this sumptuous thing or that practical item?

sometime before the sun set for the day and the moon rose, I left with a bright and shiny new jacket, apple green and white, a zippered pocket on the back, just aching to be worn out in the not-yet-spring-like world surrounding us. it will cheer me, blend beautifully with ruby, and keep away the inevitable downhill rush of cold that I might just choose to experience on a 45 degree february day like tomorrow.

thanks jcb.

new

yesterday I took my nike frees out again for a run. okay, jog. it was gray and threatening and hovering around fifty degrees. the sky spit a few drops at me now and then, but the forecasted assault of rain and snow held off.

so my new shoes stayed white and pretty.

someday this will change.

last fall john bought me a new pair of cycling shoes. he took me shopping, I tried on pair after pair at store after store, and I finally settled on a pair of Mavics that were blinding white. white? pure, solid white? what were they thinking?

when I first wore them to spin class everyone (okay, a couple people) teased me about how pretty they were and how obviously un-used they were. then spring rolled around, and I started using my pretty white shoes on my real bike in the real world.

now they're somewhere between "dirty white" and "seriously gray."

this is bound to happen to my pretty frees, as well.

new is fun, new is a great treat, new makes you feel special. new makes you feel connected with our constantly-changing world, helps you feel part of the continual movement forward and upward. it makes you feel potent, participative, vibrant, connected.

yep, all of this just in a pair of new shoes.

they don't even have to be white.

they just have to be new, just for a little while, bringing back that feeling you had as a little kid, wearing your brand new whatevers that made you feel like the king of the world.

that's me in my pretty white frees, on top of the world, extraordinary, queen of

just

about

everything.